As young children, we stared at the television in amazement as our favorite athlete glided across the screen.
We watched as they slammed home the final basket, hit the game-winning home run or took the checkered flag. These guys were invincible. They were superhuman.
But as we aged, we began to notice things. Our athlete was a step slower, his hair thinner and his skills diminished.
We noticed our athlete was human. Sunday afternoon we were reminded about this again.
Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was 49-years-old when his car slammed into the wall Sunday at Daytona International Speedway, killing him almost instantly. He was showing signs of age physically, but competetively he was still at the top of his sport.
Rob Stallings, director of public relations for Memphis Motorsports Park, said Earnhardt was the reason NASCAR turned from a regional sport into a national craze.
"Simply put, he was NASCAR," Stallings said. "He has carried the banner for the sport for 20 years."
Stallings said Earnhardt's name was recognizable to non-racing fans, and his death would be comparable to basketball losing Michael Jordan or hockey losing Wayne Gretzky while they were in action.
"The difference between this and for example the PGA's loss of Payne Stewart was that it happened while he was competing," Stallings said.
Athletes dying in their prime is a hard thing for many people to comprehend.
Last month, two Oklahoma State basketball players were killed when their plane crashed after a game at Colorado.
This is not the first time the public has witnessed an injury to an athlete that ultimately led to the athlete's death.
Fans watched as Reggie Lewis of the Boston Celtics collapsed in a game in 1993, and he was later pronounced dead.
In 1990, Loyola Maymount basketball player Hank Gathers collapsed during a conference tournament game, and he died on the way to the hospital. Both deaths were heart related.
Dr. Tim Sumner, former assistant baseball coach at Mississippi State, said he remembers hearing about the death of the Pittsburgh Pirates' Roberto Clemente in 1972. Clemente died in a plane crash while helping earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
"He really did leave us too soon and he was helping people that were much needier than him," Sumner said. "I can still see that picture of number 21 in gold Pirate letters sliding into second to break up a double play."
Sumner said that the death of a prominent athlete can be a time of reflection for fans.
"I think it causes people to step back and look at their own lives," Sumner said.
Stallings said that the healing process should be quick for NASCAR drivers, because they have a race this weekend.
"I don't think you will see any rough driving for the next few weeks, but racing is the best healing process," Stallings said. "I can't think of any better way to pay tribute to your friend than to get back out there and compete. That's the way Earnhardt would have wanted it."
